U.S. and Armenia started joint military drill on Sep. 11
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “no good can come from” planned joint U.S.-Armenia military exercises currently underway at the Zar Training Center in Armenia.
Lavrov told a news conference on Sunday, following the G20 Summit in India, that Russia believes that the drill in Armenia are an attempt by NATO to find a foothold in the South Caucasus.
“Of course, we don’t see anything good in the fact that an aggressive NATO country is trying to penetrate Transcaucasia. I don’t think this is good for anyone, including Armenia itself,” Lavrov said in response to a question from the Kremlin-run Tass news agency. “Nothing good comes out wherever the Americans go (they have hundreds of bases around the world).”
“At best, they sit there calmly, but very often they try to tailor everything to their own whims, including political processes,” he noted, adding that such posturing by Yerevan is “regrettable” for Russia.
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Moscow and Yerevan will have to assess Armenia’s decision to take part in joint drills with the United States.
“For us, these are solutions that require a very deep analysis,” Peskov said, adding that it was necessary to find out why Yerevan made such decision. Russia, he said, “will try to figure it out.”
He added, however, that Russia remains Armenia’s close ally and will resolve issues and problems with Yerevan through dialogue.
“We [Russia] remain, have been and, I am convinced, will be a very close ally and partner to Armenia. We may have certain problems that need to be solved, but they need to be resolved within the framework of the dialogue,” Peskov added, saying he is convinced that the national interests of both countries dictate the need for strengthening of partnership.
Given Yerevan’s recent warnings about an impending military offensive by Azerbaijan, citing Baku’s buildup of troops along its border with Armenia and Artsakh, Peskov was asked whether Russia will assist Armenia in the event of an attack.
The Kremlin spokesperson said that Russia has certain obligations under the Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which Armenia is a member.
During his press conference after the G20 summit, Lavrov also discussed Yerevan’s frayed relations with the CSTO.
Lavrov recalled that Yerevan refused to endorse an agreement regarding a CSTO mission to Armenia last fall. The Armenian government cited the group’s refusal to condemn Azerbaijan for its incursion onto Armenia’s sovereign territory as the reason for backing out of accepting that mission.
Lavrov also brought up Yerevan’s refusal to host CSTO military drills in Armenia and to participate in those exercises.
“The Armenia-U.S. exercises become even more strange because for two years now Armenia has refused to take part in the CSTO exercises, explaining that if the CSTO had condemned Azerbaijan, then Armenia would have started working in the CSTO. And when we ask why you communicate with the Americans and Europeans who do not condemn Azerbaijan, they say, ‘Well, they are not our allies, so you are the ones who should condemn,’” Lavrov said.
“This is quite a strange and simplistic logic. But I hope that all the alliance commitments that exist between us — and we value them — will continue to remain in effect and prevail in Armenia’s foreign policy,” Lavrov added.
The Russian foreign minister continued to blame Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saying that when he agreed with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to recognize the 1991 Alma Ata agreement, which made Artsakh sovereign to Baku, “that’s it. The issue was closed,” Lavrov said.
“The Armenian Prime Minister signed a document according to which the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region is part of Azerbaijan. Thus, there is no need to accuse us of allegedly “giving away” Karabakh on November 10, 2020. One must be accountable to their own people independently,” Lavrov added.